Method of and apparatus for plating loom drop wires



8- 1955 s. HUFFMAN ETAL 3, ,05

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PLATING LOOM DROP WIRES Filed April 18, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIGI INVENTORS. SAMUEL L. HUFFMAN RICHARD J. IRWIN A TTORNE Y A1181 1955 s. L. HUFFMAN ETAL 3,200,052

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PLATING LOOM DROP WIRES Filed April 18, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG 2 INVENTORS.

@ '5 5 SAMUEL L. HUFFMAN 3 RICHARD J. IRWIN BY @MWL A TTORNE Y Aug. 10, 1965 s. L. HUFFMAN ETAL METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PLATING LOOM DROP WIRES 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 18, 1961 FIG 3 INVENTORS. SAMUEL L. HUFFMAN By RICHARD J. IRWIN g, V ZMMJ A TTORNE Y Aug. 10, 1965 s. L. HUFFMAN ETAL METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PLATING LOOM DROP WIRES Filed April 18. 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTORS. SAMUEL L. HUFFMAN BY RICHARD J. IRWIN A TTORNE Y I 1965 s. HUFFMAN ETAL 3,200,052

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PLATING LOOM DROP WIRES 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 18, 1961 United States Patent 3,2tlil,ti52 METHOD 0F AND APPARATUS FOR ILATING LGGM DRE? WIRES Samuel L. Hellman and Richard II. Irwin, Greenville,

S.C., assignors to Carolina Plating & Stamping Company, Greenville, 55.0, a corporation of South Carolina Filed Apr. 18, I961, Ser. No. 163,799 2 Claims. (Cl. 204-23) This invention relatesto a method of and apparatus for plating loom drop wires.

Loom drop wires are delicate sheet metal strip elements about five inches long, less than one-half inch in Width and about ten-thousandths of an inch in thickness. Each drop Wire has a longitudinal slot of considerable length stamped in it, as Well as two or more stamped openings of circular or other shape. The drop wires are designed to be perfectly straight and flat and they are manufactured to strict dimensional tolerances and stringent specifications as to surface finish, plating, straightness and the like.

The required plating of the loom drop wires with copper or the like presents peculiar problems and difficulties which cannot be economically handled by conventional plating equipment. The drop wires must be furnished to textile mills in great quantities and with extreme uniformity as to plating and other manufacturing specifications, and the drop wires are worthless if they are bent, twisted or otherwise structurally deformed or if they are not plated uniformly, brightly and with a required plating thickness. Due to the minuteness and delicacy of the drop wires, it is wholly impractical and completely uneconomical to attempt to support each individual drop wire upon a work holder or rack as the drop wires travel through the various processing tanks of the plating machine. Conventional large diameter plating barrels are not satisfactory for the plating of mass quantities of loom drop wires for a number of important reasons. The conventional plating barrels are much larger in diameter than the length of each drop wire, and as a consequence the drop wires may fall end-over-end within the plating barrel and become tangled and interlocked by passage of one drop wire through the slot of another, etc. Furthermore, masses of the drop wires tend to cling together in the processing tanks due to capillary action of the processing liquids. In conventional equipment of the type being discussed, the drop wires are bent, twisted and otherwise structurally damaged and the plating is not uniform and the work cannot be adequately cleaned without great expense involving the use of sodium cyanide, separate tumbling machines and the like. Up to the present date, no satisfactory method or apparatus has been devised for satisfactorily and economically plating mass quantities of loom drop wires in a rapid manner, uniformly and to strict specifications regarding plating, brightness and cleaning. The plating machine of this invention fully satisfies all of these requirements and fully overcomes the mentioned deficiencies of the prior art.

The broad objectives of the invention having already been made obvious, a further and more specific object is to provide in a plating method and machine for loom drop wires novel and simplified means for conveying mass quantities of the drop wires through a series of processing tanks in the plating machine and causing the drop wires to be continually tumbled or agitated while immersed in the processing liquids, and at the same time, confining the drop Wires in such a manner that they cannot tumble end-over-end, become tangled, cling together due to capillary action, or become bent or otherwise damaged.

A further object is to provide novel rotating conveyer cylinders for the drop wires which shift bodily into and out of driven engagement with continuously moving endless sprocket chains carried by the plating machine, whereby the cylinders will rotate and tumble the work when the work is lowered into the processing liquid, the cylinders idling or ceasing to rotate whenever they are elevated by the machine transfer mechanism out of engagement with the chains and above the processing tanks.

Another object of the invention is to provide rotary conveyer cylinders for the drop wires which have a diameter smaller than the length of each drop wire so as to prevent end-over-end movement of the drop wires in the cylinders and retaining the drop wires all directed longitudinally in the same manner as when initially placed within the cylinders.

Another object is to provide a conveyer cylinder having a broad access door or closure extending for its entire length to facilitate the ready placement of the drop wires into the cylinder and removal of the same therefrom at the loading and discharge station of the plating machine. This ready access feature of the conveyor cylinders is important in facilitating the quick transfer of the plated drop wires from the discharge end of the plating machine into a quick dryer which forms no part of the present invention but which is used in side-by-side relation to the improved plating machine.

Another object is to provide a simplified and compact rotary carrier unit for drop wires being plated, and which unit is readily removable bodily from the plating machine so that the same may be used with conventional work racks for other and different plating operations.

Another object is to provide a carrier unit for drop wires being plated and which unit is readily adaptable to practically any conventional Well-known plating machine.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

FIGURE 1 is a plan View, partly diagrammatic, of a plating machine for loom drop wires embodying the invention,

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged transverse vertical section, partly diagrammatic, taken on line 22 of FIGURE 1 and showing the carrier units in their fully lowered positions in full lines and in maximum elevated positions in broken lines,

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary side elevation, partly in section and with parts omitted, of the electroplating end portion of the machine and taken substantially on line 3-3 of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 4 is a perspective View of a drop wire carrier or conveyer unit according to the invention,

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged central vertical longitudinal section through the unit shown in FIGURE 4,

FIGURE 6 is a transverse vertical section taken on line 6-6 of FIGURE 5,

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged transverse vertical section taken on line 77 of FIGURE 5,

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on line 3-8 of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to FIGURE 2 and showing a partially elevated position of a work carrier unit,

FIGURE 10 is a perspective view of a loom drop wire, the work to be processed by the machine.

In the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention, reference is made first to FIGURE 1 of the drawings showing in partly diagrammatic manner one well-known type of plating machine in wide usage in the plating industry. As shown in FIGURE 1, the machine essentially embodies a series of open top tanks adapted to hold suitable processing fluids for such operations as cleaning, pickling, plating, bright dipping and various rinsing and cleaning operations. In the present instance, with continued reference to FIGURE 1, and progressing in a counterclockwise direction, a first two station tank is provided for a soak clean operation, second, third, fourth and fifth single station tanks 16 are next provided for cold water rinse, acid dip and subsequent cold Water rinse operations. A sixth three station tank 17 is provided for an electrocleaning operation. Next, a pair of single station tanks 18 are provided for further rinsing operations. Following the tanks 18, a long multistation J-shaped tank 19 for the copper plating of the drop wires is provided in the machine, followed by six single station tanks 211 for successive operations of cold rinsing, bright dipping and further cold water and hot water rinsing to complete the processing of the plated drop wires.

The several tanks of the machine and associated elements are held in assembled relation upon suitable conventional support framing which need not be described in detail herein for a proper understanding of the invention. The Work loading and discharging station of the machine is indicated at A adjacent the end of the machine remote from the plating tank 19. The operator at this station loads the drop wires into the work carrier units to be described and forming an important feature of the invention, and the finished plated drop wires are also removed from the work carrier units at the station A for immediate placement within a dryer, not shown, employed in conjunction with the plating machine of this invention for the complete processing of the drop Wires.

elevator and work transfer truss 21 is bodily shiftable' vertically by means of a centrally located vertical hydraulic cylinder and piston unit 22, arranged near the longitudinal center of the machine, FIGURE 1, the top of the piston being secured by a crosshead 23 to the truss 21. The truss 21 is guided in its vertical move-' ment and maintained horizontal by suitable vertical guide track means 24 constituting a part. of the fixed framework of the machine. An overhead beam 25 is supported upon fixed uprights 26 within the elevatable truss 21 and lending support to the guide means 24 for the truss. well-known.

The work elevating and transfer truss 21 further comprises upper and lower pairs of elongated continuous horizontal bars 27 and 23, rigidly interconnected vertically by suitable frame members 29 as shown in FIGURES 2 and 3. The truss carriage structure inwardly of the bars 27 and 28 and the frame members 29 is indicated generally at St} and need not'be described in full detail herein because it is conventional.

The truss 21 further comprises at opposite ends thereof short end transfer sections 31 and 32,.drawn around the curved ends of the truss by horizontal sprocket chain sections 33, each having their opposite ends fixedly secured at 34 to a vertical frame member 35 extending between and rigid with the bars 27 and 28 of the truss. Only one chain element 33 is shown in FIGURE 3 of the All of this structure is conventional and drawings, it being understood that an identical chain eleand upon longitudinal movement of the .main truss sections embodying the bars 27 and 28 as will be more completely described hereinafter.' The truss sections 30 and 31 are of course connected with the chain element 33 to be advanced and retracted thereby, and the chain element 33 is trained about a horizontally disposed sprocket wheel 36, rotatable upon a vertical shaft 37, fixedly secured to the truss structure. This construction is also conventional and well-known and need not be described in further detail herein. V

The truss 21 carries lifting or elevating'dogs or elements 33 and 3? in spaced relation along the'top and bottom thereof respectively and projecting laterally beyond the bars 27 and 28 as shown in FIGURE 2. These lifting dogs 33 and 39 are employed to elevate the work carrier units of theinvention, to be described, to fully lifted or transfer positions shown in broken lines in FIGURE, '2 and to partially lifted transfer positions as shown in FIGURE 9 of the drawings.

As previously mentioned, some of, the processing tanks 15 through 2d are single work station tanks, some are double work station tanks, triple'work station tanks and the plating tank 19 embodies a multiplicity of work stations, FIGURE 1. Whenever the work carrier units to be described are to be advanced or transferred from one tank to the next succeeding tank of the machine, the truss 21 must be fully elevated to the broken line position shown in FIGUREZ, whereupon transfer mechanism to be described advances the Work carrier units over the next succeeding tank and when the truss-21 is then lowered to the full line position of FIGURE 2, the work carrier units are immersed in the processing fluid of the next succeeding tanks. However, in the case of plural work stationtanks including the tanks 15, 17

and 19, the Work carrier units must remain immersed in the processing fluid of these tanksthrough several Work cycles or stations, and therefore provision is made upon elevation of the truss 21 for only partially elevating the work carrier units in the multiple station tanks and advancing them forwardly in such tanks the required number of times, while maintaining the work fully immersed in the fluid of such tanks.

To implement this mode of operation, the upper lifting dogsfitl of truss 21 are spaced longitudinally on the bars '7, FlGURE 1, in such a manner that upon elevation of the truss to the broken line position shown in FIGURE 2, the dogs 33 will engage and fully lift the work carrier units for transfer forwardly in the plating machine from one tank to the next succeeding tank in the series of tanks. As may readily be seen from an inspection of FlGURE l, the uppermost lifting dogs 33 appearing ontop of the truss bars 27 are positioned adjacent all of the single work station tanks 16, 18 and 2t and adjacent the last work station of the plural station tanks 15, 17 and 19. The lower lifting dogs 39 of the truss also visible in FIG- URE l beneath thebars 2'7 and 28 are positioned adjacent the first work station of each plural station tank of the machine and adjacent all of the intermediate work stations of these tanks up to and not including the final work station. With this arrangement, when the truss 21 is elevated prior to advancing or transferring the Work units forwardly by means to be described the lower dogs 39 will engage and lift the Work carrier units as shown in FIGURE 9 just enough to disengage them from the endless rotation imparting chains to be described, but not enough to lift the work cylinders from the fluid in the processing tanks. In other words, the work units lifted by the lower dogsfl? when the truss 21 rises will belifted a slight distance only as shown in FIGURE 9 and then advanced forwardly within the plural work station tanks in a step-by-step manner but without removing the work from the processing fluid of such tanks during forward advancement of the work. At the points along the truss structure provided with the upper lifting dogs 33, there are no lower lifting dogs 39 directly below, and likewise,

where the lower lifting dogs 39 are provided, there are no upper lifting dogs 33 directly above, as shown in FIGURE 1.

The siftable truss sections 31 and 32 previously described at the ends of the truss are likewise provided with lifting dogs. The sections 31 and 32 adjacent the multi-station tank 19 have lower lifting dogs 39 as shown in FIGURE 1. The truss sections 31 and 32 nearest the work loading and discharging station A have upper lifting dogs 38 because the work units must be fully elevated to the broken line position shown in FIGURE 2 for transfer from the final tank 26 and into the first tank 15 of the machine.

Thus, as should now be apparent, the truss 21 when elevated the full distance shown in FIGURE 2 by the cylinder means 22 will lift certain of the work carrier units entirely above the processing tanks preparatory to forward advancement into the next tank and subsequent lowering into the next tank. The truss will lift other work carrier units to the partially elevated position shown in FIGURE 9 for forward advancement within the multistation tanks of the machine and without lifting the work out of the processing fluid in the multi-station tanks such as the tanks 15, 17 and 19.

The means to advance the work carrier units forwardly horizontally from tank-to-tank or within the multi-station tanks after full or partial elevation by the truss 21 as described, comprises a horizontal hydraulic cylinder and piston means 46 of conventional design having the extensible piston thereof secured to a bracket 41, rigidly attached at 42 to the upper truss bar 27 shown in FIG- URE 3 and also in FIGURE 1. When the truss 21 is fully elevated, FIGURE 2, the cylinder and piston unit 40 is activated to extend the piston and bracket 41 forwardly or to the right in FIGURES l and 3 and the long truss section including the bar 27 in FIGURE 3 is bodily shifted forwardly or to the right a sufficient distance to advance the work forwardly one work station within a multi-station tank or from the last work station of any tank of the machine into the next succeeding tank, whether a single station or multi-station tank, and this mode of operation is conventional. The cylinder and piston unit 40 remains extended or advanced until after the truss 21 is again fully lowered, FIGURE 2, and then the horizontal piston is retracted or shifted to the left, FIGURES l and 3, prior to the beginning of the next operating cycle for lifting the work and advancing it. In short, the truss 21 lifts the work vertically, advances it forwardly, lowers the work and then retracts rearwardly after all of the lifting dogs 38 and 39 have disengaged the work and the work carrier units to be described are engaging the rotation imparting chains and are free of support by the truss. As should be obvious, when the one long truss section connected at 42, FIGURE 3, with the advancing means 46 is advanced, the chain sections 33 at opposite ends of the machine and connected with the sectional portions 31 and 32 of the truss will cause the latter to be advanced around the curved ends of the truss while the truss is elevated and subsequently retracted after the truss is lowered from engagement with the work carrier units.

The work carrier units in their entireties are designated in the drawings by the numeral 43, and each such unit embodies a horizontal transverse primary lifting bar 44 which spans the processing tanks transversely and is adapted to have its outer end seated upon rest blocks 45, carried by the tops of outer frame structures 46 of the machine when the work carrier units are lowered. The lifting bars 44 are suitably braced as at 4"], and the inner ends of the bars 44 have rigidly secured thereto lifting sockets 48 for engagement with the respective dogs 38 and 39 of lifting truss 21. The bars 44 also carry conventional electrical contact or trolley devices 49 for sliding contact with the continuous horizontal loop cathode rail 50, fixedly mounted upon the interior frame structure 51 of the machine adjacent the inner sides and tops of the several processing tanks, FIGURES l and 2. The contact devices 49 are spring loaded for engagement with the cathode rail 50 in the usual manner.

The copper plating tank 19 is provided around its margin and adjacent its top with a continuous anode rail 52, supporting a conventional suspended anode element 53 as shown diagrammatically in FIGURE 2. These electrical components are conventional and need not be dealt with in further detail.

Each work carrier unit 43 further embodies a rotating work cylinder unit 54 shown in its entirety in FIGURES 4 and 5 and bodily and detachably suspended from the bar 44 by a pair of suspension hooks 55, rigid with the top of the unit 54 near its opposite ends. The entire cylinder unit 54 may therefore be lifted from the bar 44 at any time as when converting the machine to other plating operations employing conventional work racks.

Each cylinder unit 54 further comprises a frame including upper spaced parallel angle bars 56 and lower spaced parallel tie bars 57 having their respective ends suitably rigidly secured at 58 and 59 to vertical end plates 60 and 61 formed of insulating material such as Lucite, Plexiglas or like plastics material. I

Journaled within suitable bearings 62 and 63 near the tops of end plates 60 and 61 and secured thereto is a horizontal drive shaft 64 carrying at its outer end a sprocket gear 65 for rotation therewith. The sprocket gear 65 as shown in FIGURE 5 is spaced outside of the adjacent tank shown in broken lines and the elevation of the shaft 64 in the fully lowered position, FIGURE 5, is above the top of the tanks. It may be mentioned here that the suspension hooks 55 previously mentioned are rigidly secured to the top angle bars 56 in any suitable manner.

Secured to each shaft 64 for rotation therewith is an upper gear 66 formed of insulating material. An intermediate idler gear 67 of insulating material is suitably journaled as at 68 upon the adjacent end plate 61 near the inner face thereof and in constant driving engagement with the gear 66.

The work holding rotary cylinder or tube 69 of each unit 54 embodies an elongated cylinder body portion formed of Lucite or the like and extending between the end plates 60 and 61 and having a multiplicity of small openings 70 spaced uniformly over its entire surface area and through its cylindrical side wall for the free passage or circulation of the processing and plating fiuids. The cylinder or tube 69 is a very important element of the invention and its dimensions are somewhat critical. The length of the cylinder is such, FIGURE 2, that it spans a major portion of the width of each processing tank and is capable of containing a large number of the drop wires to be plated. The diameter of the cylinder is small enough so that the drop wires which are about five inches long can never tumble end-over-end within the rotating cylinder or become matted or tangled so as to result in damaging the delicate drop wires during their processing. The inside diameter of the cylinder 69 is preferably about three inches. The drop wires when introduced into the cylinder will remain longitudinally aligned and in the same direction throughout the entire processing of the same, although the drop wires may tumble freely within the cylinders while remaining in a generally longitudinal disposition generally axially of the cylinder. The small openings 76 are about three-sixteenths of an inch in diameter and their precise size is not critical so long as the openings are substantially smaller than the width of a drop wire which is about seven-sixteenths of an inch wide.

Each cylinder 69 is provided upon its periphery with at least a pair of diametrically opposed longitudinal exterior strips or bars '71, rigid therewith, and carrying a plurality of longitudinally spaced preferably screwthreaded tumbler elements 72 which project somewhat inwardly of the bore of the cylinder 69 and has screwthreaded engagement with the strip 71 and/ or the cylinder. The elements 72 engage the drop wires to tumble the same during rotation of the cylinder 69 as will be further described.

Each cylinder 69 embodies a long and circumferentially wide removable cover section 73 extending for its entire length and around almost one-half of the circumference of the cylinder. The removable cover sections 73 allow ready access to the interior of the cylinders at the work loading and discharge station A. Each cover section 73 carries a pair of arcuate spring clips 74 whose corresponding generally radial ends '75 latch beneath keeper blocks or strips 76, rigidly secured to the periphery of cylinder 69 at one side of the same. A keeper'element or block '77 secured to each clip 74 near its free end '78 interlocks under a block or strip 79, rigidly secured to the periphery of the cylinder at a point opposite the block '76. The clip 74 may carry near its longitudinal center a head 80 within which the clip 74 is grooved or embedded and this head engages the outer face of the tumbler element carrying bar '71 which is on the cover section 73. By virtue of this arrangement, the entire cover section 73 is readily detachable bodily from the cylinder 69 at the loading and discharge station A.

The cylinder unit 54 further embodies end plugs 81 for the cylinder 69, fixedly secured therein and closing the ends of the cylinder. End bearings 82 for each cylinder 59 are provided, and a third gear 83 for each cylinder 69 is fixedly secured thereto for rotation there- With at the outer end of the cylinder and meshes con- The gear stantly with the intermediate gear 67 or idler. 83 is formed of insulating material. The cylinder 6% may revolve freely upon the bearings 82 under influence of the gear 83 and the bearings 82 are suitably fixed to the insulating end plates 6d and 61.

A non-rotating cathode element or rod 84 extends axially through the center of each rotary cylinder 6? and through bores of the fixed bearings 82 and electri-v cally insulated therefrom as at 85. The cathode element 84 extends upwardly near and outwardly of the end plate 81, FIGURES 2, 4 and 5, for electrical contact as at 86 with the adjacent bar 44, from which the unit 54 is suspended. Rotation of the shaft 64, it will now be apparent, imparts continuous rotation to the cylinder 69 through the medium of the three continuously meshing gears of each cylinder unit.

Adjacent the tops and outermost sides of the rows of processing tanks are disposed a pair of elongated continuously traveling endless horizontal sprocket chains 8'7, carried and driven by relatively large sprocket wheels 88 at the ends thereof, as shown. These chains 87 extend for the full lengths of the straight parallel portions of the tank rows but do not extend adjacent the curved portion of the I-shaped plating tank 19, FIGURE 1. Driving motor means 89 at opposite ends of the respective chains 87, FIGURE 1, are suitably secured to the outer frame structures 46 of the machine and directly power one sprocket wheel 88 of each endless chain to drive the top run of each chain longitudinally in the direction of advancement of the work along the tanks. The top run of each chain 37 is additionally supported by a series of rather closely spaced small idler sprocket gears 9t? journaled upon the outer frame 6 near and below the top thereof, and these idler sprocket wheels 90 mesh with the top runs of the chains 8'? and support the same in a substantially taut or level manner.

When the Work carrier units 43 including cylinder units 54 are fully lowered, FIGURE 2, the sprocket gears 65 of the unit drive shafts 64 willenter into engagement with the constantly running chains 87 and be driven thereby for rotating the cylinders 69 at all times while the lat-- 8, ter are immersed in the fluid of the several processing tanks. As soon as the units 43 are fully elevated for for ward advancement, FIGURE 2, or partially elevated for advancement in a plural station tank, FIGURE 9, the sprocket gears 65 will disengage the moving chains 37 and rotation of the cylinders 69 will cease while the work carrying units are elevated and while they are being advanced forwardly to the next tank or the next station in a plural station tank. When the units 43 are lowered by the truss 21 into the next tank or at the next station in a multi-staticn tank, the sprocket gears 65 will re-engage the moving chains 3'7 and the cylinders 69 will again instantly begin to rotate. Consequently, the invention provides for rotating all ofthe cyinders69 while they are immersed in the processing tanks and allowing the cylinders to idle while they are elevated and transferred forwardly and while they are being lowered. The cylinders will not rotate during transfer around the ends of the machine under influence of the movable transfer sections 31 and 32 of the truss 21., FIGURE 1.

To briefly summarize the-operation of the machine, a large number of drop wires to be plated are manually loaded into each cylinder 69 at the station A while each work carrier unit 43 is at rest and while the cylinder 69 is not rotating. The plateddrop wires taken from this same cylinder at station A are immediately placed in the dryer, not shown, by the operator, the dryerbeing located close to the station A. As the machine continues its cycling operation under influence of conventional automatic timing and control means, not shown, each work carrier unit 43 is successively introduced into the several processing tanks of the machine and advanced, eievated and lowered in the step-by-step manner previously described. Obviously, the arrangement and size of the tanks may be varied to suit the requirementsof processing spec: ifications and the timing of the machinescycle of operation may also be varied as desired in a conventional manner. The cylinders 69 will rotate continuously and tumble the drop Wires at all times while immersed in the fluid of the several processing tanks to attain the advantages and objectives already set forth in connection with the proper plating of the work.

Suitable rest supports 91 and 92 are preferably provided at the extreme ends of the machine for supporting the outer ends of the bars 44 at the two dwell stations where the work carrier units rest or stop during their two step transfer around the ends of the machine.

It is believed that the operation and the advantages of the invention should now be apparent to those skilled in the art without the necessity for further description. The essence of the invention resides in the combination of the particular work carrier units 43 and the chains 87 for imparting intermittent rotation to the cylinders 69 through the sprocket wheels 65 and associated elements whenever the work cylinders are immersed in thevarious fluids.

It is to be understood that the form of this invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the inventionor the scope of the subjoined claims. a

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. In a method of plating loom drop wires, said drop wires being thin delicate sheet metal elements having slots and being approximately five inches long and 1 8 of an inch wide, confining a multiplicity of said drop wires to be plated Within a long slender substantially horizontal perforated plating barrel, said plating barrel having an internal diameter of less than five inches and an axial length of approximately ten times said internal diameter, whereby the drop Wires are restrained from endover-end movement and tangling within the barrel, and

9 imparting rotation to the barrel while the same is submerged in a plating bath to tumble and plate the drop wires.

2. In a method of plating loom drop wires, said drop wires comprising thin flat slotted sheet metal elements each approximately five inches long, of an inch wide and .010 inch thick, the steps of introducing a multitude of the drop Wires into the interior chamber of a long narrow diameter perforated plating barrel having a side wall access opening and closure means, plating the drop wire within said interior chamber while rotating said barrel upon its longitudinal axis and with said axis substantially horizontally disposed, the barrel and drop wires being submerged in a plating bath, said chamber having a diameter of less than five inches and an axial length of about ten times said diameter, whereby the drop Wires are restrained from end-over-end movement and tangling within the barrel chamber but may tumble freely and move longitudinally within the barrel, and then discharging the plated drop wires through said side wall access opening after the complete plating thereof.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Butler 134-157 Shelton 204-213 Charlton 204-213 Potthoff 204-213 Dawson 204-213 ONeill 204-213 Amundsen 20-213 Todd 204-213 Luther 204-213 Round 204-213 Abbey 214-89 Belke 204-213 Finston 204-198 Canada.

20 JOHN H. MACK, Primary Examiner.

JOSEPH REBOLD, Examiner. 

1. IN A METHOD OF PLATING LOOM DROP WIRES, SAID DROP WIRES BEING THIN DELICATE SHEET METAL ELEMENTS HAVING SLOTS AND BEING APPROXIMATELY FIVE INCHES LONG AND 3/8 OF AN INCH WIDE, CONFINING A MULTIPLICITY OF SAID DROP WIRES TO BE PLATED WITHIN A LONG SLENDER SUBSTANTIALALY HORIZONTAL PERFORATED PLATING BARREL, SAID PLATING BARREL HAVING AN INTERNAL DIAMETER OF LESS THAN FIVE INCHES AND AN AXIAL LENGTH OF APPROXIMATELY TEN TIMES SAID INTERNAL DIAMETER, WHEREBY THE DROP WIRES ARE RESTRAINED FROM ENDOVER-END MOVEMENT AND TANGLING WITHIN THE BARREL, AND IMPARTING ROTATION TO THE BARREL WHILE THE SAME IS SUBMERGED IN A PLATING BATH TO TUMBLE AND PLATE THE DROP WIRES. 